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Nutmeg: A Household High Among Young Adults

Recently there have been reports of young adults getting high off of nutmeg. No, nutmeg is not some street name for some new form of crack; nutmeg is legitimately the common household spice used to doctor egg nog and flavor cookies. Although it may seem harmless, it is anything but.

Psychoactive Properties

The psychoactive properties of nutmeg are not newly founded, they’ve always been around. However, the amount of nutmeg that must be imbibed in order to have any sort of reaction is astronomical compared to the normal allowances for nutmeg. For this reason the FDA only regulates nutmeg as a food and not a drug. Even the FDA didn’t think that people would actually be stupid enough to use nutmeg recreationally.

Awful Effects

The term recreationally in this instance is used rather loosely, as the ‘high’ attained from nutmeg is anything but fun. It causes nausea and vomiting, horrible headaches, fevers; it most closely resembles the flu. Really, who signs up for that? What’s even worse is nutmeg poisoning can occur which is very dangerous and can lead to hospitalization for tachycardia, collapse, and a barrage of other less than desirable symptoms.

The lesson for parents is this; it really doesn’t matter if the liquor cabinet is locked up, or if you only buy the tubs of whipped cream. Young adults are going to experiment with drugs and alcohol. This is why the most proactive measure that parents and society as a whole can take is to educate young adults and teens on the danger of alcohol, drugs, and any other substances that can alter an individual’s state of mind.